Profilangaben
Host Bewertung
80 %
Letzte Antwort
6 Nov. 2024
Beantwortungsquote
59.4 %
Usually responds innerh. 18 Tage
Feedback
112
Verifizierte E-Mail
Abzeichen (2)
Finde deinen perfekten Gastgeber
Geforderte Mindest-Aufenthaltsdauer: mindestens 3 Wochen
Informationen
Beschreibung
Hi and thank you for looking at our profile.
Mark & Owen and their sons have been developing a conservation breeding facility for endangered birds in the lovely Scottish Borders. We are a registered not-for-profit organisation with saving rare birds and promoting a more sustainable way of living at our heart.
We need people who know gardening to help make our vegetable garden functional and beautiful. I personally love vegetable gardening but simply don't have the time to get stuck in and grow food. This would be an ideal workaway for a couple or two friends; gardening is much more fun with more than one person.
There are many bigger projects which would benefit from more hands. We are currently building a nesting cliff for the endangered northern bald ibis which we would like to finish this spring in time for the breeding season. There are many aviaries that need to be finished in the orchards. Then we can work on building nice big flights for the owls we have rescued and all the parrots that we have re-homed. Its these projects that we really need help with so construction work is really what to progress this year.
There is opportunity for someone to be involved in animal care, I can provide a huge amount of animal care experience for the right person who wants to take animal care further into their lives. For a select few volunteers, animal care can be their main role with us.
Whilst this year's workaways won't be working directly with the birds, you will be working amongst them and you will have connection with fascinating species and characters.
We encourage volunteers to take two days off a week. Most of our volunteers go exploring Scotland, relaxing in this beautiful countryside or get involved with Edinburgh's wonderful culture and history. From Edinburgh you can catch tour buses for a day or multiple day tours round the Highlands and Islands.
This is a welcoming place with no prejudice.
If you would like to be a part of this adventure with the opportunity to further conservation work and promoting a more sustainable way of living, then do get in touch.
Thank you for reading!Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten
GartenarbeitenHeimwerker- und BauarbeitenBetreuung von TierenHandwerkliche ArbeitenUNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt
Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten
This is a great opportunity to live amongst a variety of wonderful birds and animals.
The village is very friendly. They are currently renovating the village pub which will hopefully open again soon.
There are regular buses to Edinburgh with all the shopping, culture and history you could wish for! The same buses go south, further into the Borders where there are old towns and villages to explore.Registered non-profit
This host is a registered CIC in the UK and is looking for help with their non-profit project. Please check directly with them if they can provide sponsorship. More info can be found here.
Arbeit
We have built a not for profit organisation with the skin on our fingers. Our key objectives are to promote a more sustainable way of living and the conservation of the natural world. Getting the gardens tidy and functional is this year's project, we would also welcome thoughts and ideas from experienced gardeners.
Gesprochene Sprachen
Deutsch: Fließend
Greek: Fließend
Spanisch: Fließend
Französisch: FließendUnterkunft
We have a cabin which stands away from the house so you will have your own privacy and space. It has a large double bed, sitting room, kitchen area, internet, water and electricity.
We also have a caravan / trailer which is ideal for a solo traveller. It is clean, cozy and has great views of the countryside. It has wifi, electricity and drinking water. There is also an immediate outdoor area for yoga, sitting, relaxing outdoors.
We will get the groceries you need to make your own breakfast and dinners. If you need luxury items such as alcohol or magazines, then we are happy for you to join us when we go shopping. Lunches will either be cooked by me in the house or, you can have lunch in the visitor centre, free of charge.Was noch ...
We live in a pretty village with many lovely walks through rolling Scottish Borders countryside. There is a regular bus service which can take you further down into the Scottish Borders where there are fascinating towns and villages which are incredibly rich in culture and history. And of course a good bus service direct to Edinburgh city center.
Mark and I are open to all cultures, religions, gender, sexuality etc.Etwas mehr Information
Internet Zugang
Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang
Wir besitzen Tiere
Wir sind Raucher
Familien möglich
Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans
We have ample room for campervans, and somewhere to properly empty septic waste and a nearby tap with drinking water.
Hier sind Haustiere in der Regel willkommen
We have accommodated people and pets before. It is paramount to have in mind that this is the birds' home. Their health and wellbeing takes priority above pets.
Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal
zwei
Feedback (46)
Such experiences working with the beutiful natural diversity they work hard to preserve is really rare to find.
I feel completely fortunate to encounter with their project and being able… read more
During this time we achieved a vast amount and completed outstanding tasks. We had good fun working together and the banter was great. Its lovely to connect with other people's sense of humour and fun was had in the workplace. Some projects… read more
Respectful and kind, hard-working and good fun! They have a wonderful mix of celebrating progressive development, and, giving their full attention to the detail of day-to-day chores. It's been really enjoyable having this lovely couple helping us, they have made a huge positive impact on what we do.
They both respected and… read more
Weitere Bilder
Feedback
Dies sind zusätzliche optionale Bewertungen, wenn Mitglieder Feedback hinterlassen. Es wird die im Schnitt hinterlassene Bewertung für jede Option angezeigt.
Korrekte Angaben im Profil:
(4.9)
Kultureller Austausch:
(4.9)
Kommunikation:
(5.0)
Such experiences working with the beutiful natural diversity they work hard to preserve is really rare to find.
I feel completely fortunate to encounter with their project and being able… read more
During this time we achieved a vast amount and completed outstanding tasks. We had good fun working together and the banter was great. Its lovely to connect with other people's sense of humour and fun was had in the workplace. Some projects… read more
Respectful and kind, hard-working and good fun! They have a wonderful mix of celebrating progressive development, and, giving their full attention to the detail of day-to-day chores. It's been really enjoyable having this lovely couple helping us, they have made a huge positive impact on what we do.
They both respected and… read more
This charming couple came here and immersed themselves in so many projects. My goodness, every afternoon was different with a broad range of tasks: from redesigning snake and tortoise vivariums to concreting ponds for endangered terns and ducks. They grasped the morning bird-care routine very efficiently and made valued… read more
Wishing you both the best with your endeavours and hope you'll swing-by and see progress when you're next in Scotland.
Best wishes and thank you!
Owen
Val and… read more
We have been so delighted to be able to feed the birds (and to tickle parrots!), they are all very lovely and the parc is just so cosy and welcoming.
We were happy to make the cabin our little house for a bit of time. There is a lot of nice walks to have… read more
We have had many workaways contribute hugely over the years and we are grateful to them all. Naomi is definitely up there. A few weeks turned into a few months and we have charged through developments and progress. She is incredibly easy to have on site, charming and welcoming to the visitors and other volunteers and staff: she is the… read more
Owen and Mark are not only incredibly kind but also two of the hardest-working people I've ever had the pleasure… read more
You’ll learn a lot about the birds there if you keep yours eyes and ears open. Accommodation was comfortable and cosy.
Never felt like I was being asked to do… read more
A kind and helpful gentleman who was always willing to jump-in and help and to try new things. Whilst he was with us, we had a significant development project and Elliot was there, ready to help. He even jumped on the vibrating power-roller… read more
Jack has a massive heart, it's really huge.
In terms of working he accepts any and all projects and tasks; he will run-through the… read more
There are two points that I'd really like to focus on:
First, that the… read more
Jake and Helena are so open to everything, anything and willing to put their faith into simply moving forward and trusting the universe. It has been refreshing to have these two kind souls with us, for us personally, opening a zoo and putting systems in place to make it work has a constant high energy demand (and… read more
Olivier arrived ready to help and he made significant contributions to many of our projects and picked-up quite a workload. He has fantastic energy and focus, making short-work of projects. He went the extra mile and used his intuition for good: for instance he prepared and tidied our large vegetable garden in his own… read more
As hosts, we were fortunate to have a last minute vacancy for Alex & Pauline: we almost missed-out on their extraordinary help. They enjoy a relationship as Mother & Daughter that is something to aspire to speaking as a parent. It was heartening to watch that for a few weeks.
In terms of work ethic: jobs were simply… read more
The work itself is varied and spontaneous and therefore never gets boring.
You help… read more
From her first day Luzie took on responsibility for a portion of the grounds which enabled routine tasks to be completed promptly allowing us to achieve more developmental projects. Luzie was able to turn her hand to anything and made a tremendous contribution. She was hugely respectful to the rare birds we… read more
A very kind and considerate person, Alma was very easy to have on site and was very respectful to everyone and all the birds.
She was very friendly and very helpful. She was enthusiastic and was always smiling, she came and asked if there… read more
Owen made lunch every work day for all the volunteers and there was always loads of extra food to choose from for your own meals.
The cabin is rustic, comfortable and has all the facilities you need apart from a bathroom, but you can use the family bathroom at… read more
They worked far harder than was expected and their massive contribution has jumped progress forward on site. It's been wonderful watching a job list being scored-off. They aren't phased by small fiddly jobs, nor bigger challenges. Their input into daily chores, developments and progress in general has… read more
So many varied tasks and projects, all of which she fully embraced and contributed to. As happens, due to the nature of the work, some tasks challenged Lizzy's comfort zone, however she jumped-in and embraced our work. I hope the end result and the achievement in doing-so gave her a sense of achievement and… read more
As hosts, we were fortunate to have a last minute vacancy for Alex & Pauline: we almost missed-out on their extraordinary help. They enjoy a relationship as Mother & Daughter that is something to aspire to speaking as a parent. It was heartening to watch that for a few weeks.
In terms of work ethic: jobs were… read more
Getting to work with the animals was an experience I will never forget and Owen and Nathan went out of their way to ensure I got… read more
Sorcha is very refreshing to have around.
She is incredibly thirsty to learn about new things and gain new experiences. She embraces each new experience with excitement and a need to know more. Despite being here for such a brief window in our annual calendar, Sorcha witnessed… read more
We were on the run-up to a significant inspection when Madeleine joined us and she jumped straight-in, going above and beyond. She very much helped us achieve what we needed to achieved. Madeleine was happy to work alone, she also brought great humour and… read more
I stayed for a month and every day was different and varied!! I gained so many new skills and had lots of fun while taking part in all the different tasks as well as the daily feed routines.
I absolutely loved staying in such a beautiful, friendly place surrounded by birds! I felt… read more
What an open-minded and eclectic person to have around. July-Ann was confident to turn her hand to all tasks. If in doubt she would ask and then get on with it! Absolutely everything a host could wish for in a workaway volunteer. On the back of this we achieved great progress in all aspects of our… read more
I think of all our Workawayers Taylor had the most varied experience: preparing food for the birds, tickling flamingos, straw-work in the new Visitor Centre, laying floors, planting trees, painting, helping tradesmen, excavating holes under the building foundations for water pipes and so much more!
With Taylor's… read more
Thank you both so much.
Helena and Noel arrived and fully embraced our projects, they left a contribution with everything they helped us with and we are so very grateful for all their help.
Our time together was cut short for personal reasons but be assured we would welcome you back anytime as workaways and / or as friends.… read more
Alexis & Chandler were our last workaways for the year and they are amazing advocates of the Workaway system.
Together we jumped on jobs and tasks; alone they tackled jobs and tasks; they always went the extra steps and worked hard to get things finished. We had some pretty boring tasks but they… read more
I stayed there for 10 days.
I prepared food for birds and water for plants.
To stay in a cabin with chicken was my dream for a long time!
I was happy that my dream came true.
Owen, Mark and their boys are kind people.
There was nothing to worry about.
Thank you for giving me this precious… read more
A gracious lady who cared for our new vegetable garden and seeds. Emi was able to work with us and on her own and was able to pick up the routine and system very quickly. There were many dull jobs that we asked Emi to help with such as watering newly planted trees as it has been very dry here. Emi did this with… read more
During my stay I had a chance to see a lot of amazing birds: Chilean flamingos, flamingo chicks, black swans who had their 6 babies, curious Hawaiian geese, Eileen the Eider who prefered long walks rather than swimming, critically endangered Laysan ducks, emus, rheas, charming couple of… read more
A capable and charming young lady.
Maja is focused and keen to learn. She is willing to try any task and is thorough to make sure she understands the project. Maja was very respectful to everybody and left the accommodation beautifully clean.
We really wish you well in your studies Maja, the world needs more bird vets so very,… read more
Our only regret having Natalie and Jon here was we were unable to socialise with them more.
Great people, great… read more
Kathi came to help us and help us she did. She quickly picked up the routines which enabled us to get the morning routine done quickly and then move on to achieving other tasks and projects. Kathi was confident and able in her skills with animal care. She was able to connect with the animals which made her a real asset this… read more
I spent 3 amazing weeks in this beautiful and pleasant place where Owen and Mark live with their 2 children, and a few hundred birds!
When you have to feed beautiful animals like emus, rheas, wallabies, flamingos, diverse kinds of chickens, of geese…, when you garden, DIY, paint, dig… read more
Ludivine settled in immediately and learned our morning routine fast. She was involved with all aspects of what we do and was eager to learn about the birds and the plans for the site. Nothing phased her and she always got stuck straight in… read more
Easy company, intelligent young people with great hope for the future.
Thank you so much, please feel free to come anytime!
A great help. Picked the routine up very quickly and ran with it.
Maurgane listened and she acted upon advice. Few people are trusted with the chick room but Maurgane was one of them. A capable young lady, with fantastic English language skills she embraced our way of life and embodied it.
You… read more
Owen and Mark were such wonderful hosts, and I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 weeks at this place. I got to see so many amazing birds and animals and learned so much while I was there. I worked a lot of odd jobs, whatever they needed me to do from weeding to building the paths. I… read more
Addison arrived and hit the ground running: she works so hard and delivers on jobs big and small. She has a lovely balance of team work and an ability to work on her own merit. She tackled all jobs (including burying a dead sheep), nothing we do phased her and she tackled all jobs and tasks with determination.… read more
He helped us with so many tasks and projects, really bringing us forward. He tiled, grouted, put up fences, dug so many holes and trenches, and helped look after the birds.
A very nice young man to have around, very helpful, has incredibly… read more
Eager to help and excited by new challenges, these two lovely people will be a great help and excellent company everywhere they chose to go.
We are particularly grateful to their help as their presence and help allowed us to attend a family funeral.
We're sure that Olatz and Alex will return and visit us… read more
He is thoughtful and simply a nice person.
He helped steadily for us and achieved great results and made a considerable contribution to our progress.
He was very respectful to our family space and was easy company.
He'll go far in the world.
Thank you Quentin, we greatly appreciated your help.
It would be easy to say that Erica fixed our social media presence and updated us...… But that would seriously undervalue her huge contribution. In just two weeks she created two websites: by bringing her thoughts, ideas and wisdom to the table, Erica took us further than we had… read more
Shelby came to help and got stuck straight in. No task daunted her and she embraced everything.
It is vital that people don't challenge our processes or ways due to the delicate nature of our work. Working with endangered species is easy enough providing the system is… read more
You were such an amazing help and we love that you took ownership of our current gardening projects and did a great job! It was such a relief for us. We achieved a huge amount whilst you were here and your contribution is highly valued.
We are very excited that you are coming back and look forward to more of your company.
Anna is… read more
It's been a busy time and Kat was always in the thick-of-it working hard and doing her best. A very capable person, always ready to step in and tackle any task. Practically minded and great at problem… read more
If he applies to come and stay with you then GRAB him. He is a hard worker, he is versatile, up for anything and very good fun… read more
Sent a poor 'I'm sorry' text two days later.
We've turned other volunteers away as we'd agreed to welcome Sandra.
We're now short of help.
It's a sad situation for many people.
The work we did was tough and the weather was horrible but Kai got stuck in and was the first out in the morning and the last to stop working at night. The contribution Jai made was huge and for that we are very thankful.
Kai is a self confessed dreamer and thinker, and this we would agree with. Kai is quite… read more
We were having Planning department issues and Harriet brought a wealth of knowledge to the table regarding drawings and interpreting the councillor's wording.
We are indebted to Harriet for the hours of drawings she embarked upon on our behalf.
During the normal working day… read more
Thank you.
She came for three weeks and we were lucky enough to have five months of her time. In the time Vic was with us she created a vegetable garden, planted and cropped delicious veggies. Vic is the only workaway we've entrusted to care for the birds in full, allowing us to leave the site for the first… read more
Sergio worked long hours mixing lime render whilst the team worked to plaster a new eco build barn. He worked alone in boring circumstances but he did it very well and it enabled us to move our work forward.
Marco was… read more
He is considerate, honest, has a great sense of humour and a hard worker!
Aurelien completely embraced all we do and took ownership of the projects we undertook. He was very pleasant to work beside and he helped us make huge progress.
Always welcome here young man.
Thank you very much for all your help.
Owen & Mark
Owen and Mark are very nice, the birds garden is a great place. The work with birds is very interesting and I could improve my english level. I haven't notised the time going by during this month of july. I recomend this place to everybody.
She came to help with us and got stuck-in. She is obviously a woman of experience and was able to read animal behaviours and translated her knowledge for our and the animal's benefit.
We would have hoped she would stay longer, we are sure she will return as a friend and we look forward to that.
Thank you Romana!
Saying that he carried progress with polytunnel building, the day-to-day cleaning of animal shelters helped greatly with animal feed preparation and feeding.… read more
I really enjoyed my stay with Owen, Mark, the kids and the beautiful animals.
Sadly we did not have time to achieve what we originally planned with the straw barn but there were plenty of other tasks to be done. I found fun and adventure in whatever I done here,from helping with the animals to using a hydraulic log splitter… read more
We didn't achieve what we planned to as family ill health meant I was away a lot of Dylan's time with us. That said it was great having him here as he was able to carry the workload of the day to day bird feeds, cleaning, etc.
We hope Dylan will come back and see us again, and we wish him every enjoyment… read more
It was hard to say good bye and some tears appeared.
Owen and Mark are a very good example of strength and sympathy , they have many interesting stories and are very cultured. Additionally amazing cooks. We also are missing Antony and Kenzy.
The work was very… read more
This lovely couple were always respectful of our family/home time and our children. They worked quietly, efficiently and with great care and precision.
Fred and Isa will always be welcome here. Initially they came for one month and extended by an additional ten days. In that… read more
She fed geese and wallabies, she got stuck into whatever the day offered: be it digging ponds, fencing, preparing food for animals and/or people, catching and handling birds, babysitting our kids, figuring out stuff and fixing situations, and so much more.... No two days were the same when Griffin was here. Mad and… read more
Thank you so much for huge contribution to our progress!
Comeback and visit whenever.
Somehow on fist meeting her I knew, potter to potter, that we would get along, and that she would be capable of the tasks I was preparing to set her.
We hadn't mentioned the need for a pottery assistant in our workaway profile, so out of her own initiative… read more
Good people… read more
What a pair of girls! Really good company, we had a scream most meal times. They worked hard, figured stuff out that we didn't have time to figure out and left a very prominent mark not only on our job lists but in the grounds.… read more
They accepted the challenge of their first workaway experience with dedication. In a short time they achieved great things and we are grateful that they joined us and worked so hard.
They have exceptional English and we had many interesting and humorous conversations. When they left us the accommodation… read more
greetings from Madrid
Katie told us that she would be able to build an Etsy shop for Oxton Pottery, a leaflet, a website about our birds, a blog and helped put us on the google map and jump up the ratings on our Facebook page. Not only die she do it all, she did it brilliantly, she is a hugely… read more
Mark and Owen showed me all the tasks with patience and where happy to answer all my curious questions about the farm, their project and the UK in general. We had very nice chats and great meals (and wine), as both are really good chefs! It's very inspiring how hard-working they… read more
We were there for one month, a lovely time with this great family! We had such good time to work, live, and laugh there that we'll never forget these precious instants in a good atmosphere with openminded people, full of life and plenty of humour...
The fence around the field was a big job but we took it as a… read more
They arrived with a friend of theirs (previously agreed) and after a brief description of our needs they were off and working. They were very respectful of our family space and contributed at meal times.
Our job list for October was decimated by this hard working trio who would take on any task… read more
We are very thankful for Lara's contributions and hope she'll visit us in the future… read more